Democracy for New Mexico

Heather Wilson: Naive & Simplistic (Redistrict Now!)

This is a guest blog by a New Mexican who goes by the name 'Land of Enchantment' that is cross-posted here by permission. It was posted originally as a diary at Daily Kos:

Congresswoman Heather Wilson (NM-01) - a member of the House Intelligence Committee - has criticized the Iraq Study Group report as disappointing, with some of its suggestions naive and simplistic, and others blindingly obvious.  I have not found any more specifics as to which parts she ascribes these various characterizations.

Of course, the basic idea that the whole business isn’t working hardly comes as news to anyone whose IQ is greater than their shoe size.  Houston Chronicle cartoonist Nick Anderson, for example, illustrates what should have been "blindingly obvious" long ago:

The plain spoken Russ Feingold has more sense in his little finger than Heather Wilson’s exhibited in her entire political career.  From the Detroit News:

"Maybe there are still people in Washington who need a study group to tell them that the policy in Iraq isn't working, but the American people are way ahead of this report."

An interesting question, and one I don’t know how to answer, is why Heather Wilson is perhaps the widest-quoted member of Congress about the report.  From the International Herald Tribune (the Paris-based NY Times affiliate via the AP), to Imus in the Morning, to NPR.  I’m guessing everyone’s going with AP coverage, as I’ve not found any statement on Wilson’s official website.  But NPR’s site carries quotes from sixteen members of the House & Senate sourced to AP.  So it might just be a case of tit-for-tat journalism, and Wilson gave the most pointedly critical quote.

Wilson’s been a "stay the course", rubber-stamp kind of Republican.  From the Albuquerque Tribune:

Now that she's had the electoral scare of her life, Donald Rumsfeld's out and President Bush is talking options, has Heather Wilson's view on Iraq changed?

No, and here's why.

"Elections are about choices between candidates. They don't change policy positions," the Albuquerque Republican said Tuesday after returning to the House for the postelection session of Congress.

We do know that Wilson hasn’t used the expressions "naive" and "simplistic" about policies in Iraq before.  Not about:

• The insurgency is in its "last throes"
• They’ll greet us as liberators, with candy and flowers
• "Mission Accomplished"
• The purple fingers show it’s all successful
• The war wouldn’t last more than 6 months, max
• Iraqi oil revenues would pay for reconstruction
• Trumped up "intelligence" on Saddam’s WMDs

Just two months ago, Wilson was profiled for the midterm election by the Albuquerque Tribune:

What is your stance on the Iraq War and how the U.S. should proceed?

The U.S. military has done an outstanding job defeating Saddam Hussein and helping the Iraqi people have the first free election in decades. All Americans, including me, want American troops to come home from Iraq. My opponent wanted to immediately withdraw all U.S. troops almost a year ago - before free elections, before the Iraqi Army was ready to provide security, before the establishment of a unity government, and before we killed the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq.

Even now, if we immediately retreat from Iraq, the terrorists will see it as a sign of weakness, and it will embolden them to commit more terrorist attacks.

I believe our troops should be reduced through an orderly transition to the Iraqi Army as Iraqis take more responsibility for governing and security in their own country. I also believe that decisions on troop withdrawal schedules should be driven by U.S. commanders on the ground in Iraq, not politicians in Washington. The Iraqi Army is starting to stand on its own. We can't cut and run. We need to finish the job.

This looks like formulaic, simplistic pablum to me.  Look at all that’s happened since this statement was published on October 10.  It strikes me as a tad naive to assert that the Iraqi army’s "starting to stand on its own".  Even the most hawkish guy around, John McCain, says American troops shouldn’t be embedded with the Iraqi military due to "questionable loyalties" - just heard reported on MSNBC earlier this morning.

On the occasion of her vote for war authorization in 2002, Wilson said the following on the House Floor:

I am voting to authorize the use of force against Iraq because it possesses and is further developing weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver those weapons and because I believe that Iraq intends to use those weapons against Americans.

At that time, she stated that other reasons were not adequate to go to war: Having WMD without the intention to use them against the US, oppression and human rights atrocities against minorities in Iraq, or violations of sanctions.  Considering that she serves on the House Intelligence Committee, she was in a position to ask penetrating and skeptical questions about those WMD and Saddam’s intention to use them against the US.  She did not.

Since then? According to a Wilson press release of 11/18/05, things were going so well in Iraq that we could expect substantial troop reductions through out 2006.  Perhaps a bit "naive"?  (Again keeping in mind that she’s got an inside track on intelligence...)

I expect U.S. forces will continue to stay in Iraq through December's elections at roughly their current level.  But as I’ve said, if political and security progress continues on roughly the course we are on, American forces should be able to start being drawn down in significant numbers during the course of next year.  These redeployments should be based on conditions in the field.  As the Iraqis stand up, we can stand down.

Wilson also voted against benchmarks for success in Iraq.  From the DCCC:

In 2005, Wilson voted against an effort to require President Bush to submit a plan for success in Iraq, supply the military with adequate equipment and other resources to complete their mission, and provide veterans with adequate health care services. Had the plan passed, it would have required the president to outline benchmarks for success in Iraq - including the adoption of a constitution, free and fair elections, and a plan for economic development - that could be used to determine when Iraq is sufficiently stable to allow for the return home of American soldiers. The motion also noted that the lack of a clear strategy for success in Iraq could undermine the morale of U.S. troops.

TIME FOR REDISTRICTING
I think it’s time for a little redistricting in New Mexico.  We’ve got a Democratic Governor, and both chambers of the legislature are Democratic.  Election results this time around:

• NM-01 . . . . Rep - 50.2% . . .  Dem - 49.8%
• NM-02 . . . .  Rep - 60% . . . . . Dem - 40%
• NM-03 . . . . Rep - 25% . . . . . Dem - 75%

Statewide: Rep - 44% . . . . Dem - 56%

With those numbers statewide, there’s really no excuse for only one out of three seats to be held by a Democrat.  A little tinkering with the districts could make NM-02 65% Republican and NM-03 70% Democratic.  Which would add ten points of Democratic clout to NM-01, and settle the whole business to better match the electorate.

This is a classic case of Democratic votes being concentrated in a way that reduces Congressional representation.  Since the State Legislature has been Democratic in both Houses for as long as anyone can remember, and Democratic Governor Bill Richardson has just been re-elected to a second term, this could easily change.

RSVP for Defenders of Wildlife Holiday Party, Meeting

From NM Defenders of Wildlife:
Next Meeting/Holiday Party! Please join me for our next meeting/holiday party next Tuesday, December 12th at Scalo in Albuquerque's Nob Hill. From 6:00-6:30 we'll have a brief meeting to discuss the new Congress and priorities for next year. And from 6:30 on we'll enjoy wine, beer, other drinks, and yummy appetizers. Please feel free to arrive anytime starting at 5:30 to get some drinks & snacks before we begin.

Scalo is a great sustainably-minded business. They use locally grown organic produce, buy locally baked bread, and support local community efforts. They are giving us a private dining room for free because of the work we do!  I'm very excited to be having our meeting with them.

WHAT: Meeting/Holiday Party
WHERE: Scalo Northern Italian Grill, 3500 Central Ave SE, in the Nob Hill shopping center with Mark Pardo's Aveda Salon, and the La Montanita Coop

WHEN: Arrive 5:30-6:00, Meeting 6:00-6:30, Party 6:30-7:30.  But you may come and go as you please :)

RSVP by this Thursday 12/7: Please let me know if you can make it! I apologize for the short notice.  Hope you are able to attend!

Lisa Hummon

New Mexico Outreach Representative

Defenders of Wildlife

824 Gold SW

Albuquerque, NM  87102

Phone: (505) 248-0118 x5

Fax: (505) 248-0187

www.saveesa.org, www.defenders.org

DFA-DFNM ABQ Meetup Tonight

Our regular monthly DFA-DFNM Albuquerque Meetup takes place tonight, December 7th, at 7:00 PM at the First Unitarian Church Social Hall at Carlisle and Comanche. Click here to join the group or RSVP for the meeting.

Our speakers this month include:

DANA MILLEN, Education and Outreach Coordinator for the Heath Security for New Mexicans Campaign presenting their plan for universal healthcare.

MAGGIE TOULOUSE, an applicant for Bernalillo County Clerk, discussing your issues of concern for the person who will fill the clerk slot vacated by our new Secretary of State, Mary Herrera.

JOE CASADOS & ANGELA CHAVEZ, DPNM Field Coordinators, who will talk about 2006 election lessons learned, and brainstormwith us about future party building and outreach strategies.

Feingold on ISG Report: No Input From Those Who Opposed Invasion

Mr. Bush, tear down your wall of denial....

It might help bolster the credibility and creativity of recommendations if advisory panels like the Iraq Study Group included a truly diverse membership, wouldn't it? Although I think the report does a good job of describing the horrors on the ground produced by Bush and his enablers (including many Dems), their "comprehensive solution" suggestions seem like way too little, way too late, and way too consistent with conventional Washington wisdom. Sen. Russ Feingold had this to say about the ISG report last night on Countdown:

The fact is this commission was composed apparently entirely of people who did not have the judgment to oppose this Iraq war in the first place, and did not have the judgment to realize it was not a wise move in the fight against terrorism. So that's who is doing this report. Then I looked at the list of who testified before them. There is virtually no one who opposed the war in the first place. Virtually no one who has been really calling for a different strategy that goes for a global approach to the war on terrorism.

So this is really a Washington inside job and it shows not in the description of what's happened - that's fairly accurate - but it shows in the recommendations. It's been called a classic Washington compromise that does not do the job of extricating us from Iraq in a way that we can deal with the issues in Southeast Asia, in Afghanistan, and in Somalia which are every bit as important as what is happening in Iraq. This report does not do the job and it's because it was not composed of a real representative group of Americans who believe what the American people showed in the election, which is that it's time for us to have a timetable to bring the troops out of Iraq. (Video at Crooks and Liars.)

I've been watching the reactions of many talking heads since the report was released and my Maybe I'm Amazed Prize goes to Meet the Press mogul Tim Russert. In a clip last night he was truly FLABBERGASTED and UPSET with the surprising -- nay, SHOCKING -- news that Iraq is a tinderbox, deteriorating into utter chaos and uncontrollably brutal violence caused in no small part by U.S. troop presence and Bush's utterly hubristic and misguided strategies. Who knew? I wonder where Tim has been for 4 years. That beltway bubble must be even more all-encompassing than even I thought it was.

I'm with this guy: excerpt from post by Marty Kaplan on Huffington Post:

September 11th, as it turns out, was not the death of irony. It was the death of maturity, and the death of democracy. It began the time of magical thinking, when theories become true if only we clap harder. It inaugurated the era of reason as treason, dissent as defeatism, and stop-and-think as cut-and-run. It enforced penalties on open discourse and political opposition so severe that neither Mao nor Stalin would have trouble recognizing their handiwork. September 11th infantilized us, intimidated us, and today, as we begin to rouse from our slumber and stupefaction, we can hardly believe the horror we have enabled.

So now we have placed the nine Fabulous Baker Boys, plus the Justice not replaced by Harriet Miers, in some sacred circle where they will have ten minutes to tell the truth and not be called America-haters.

But alas, there will be no happy ending in Iraq. Like parrots squawking "Victory!" and "Finish the Job!" and "Achieve our Objectives!" in a burning house, Bush and Cheney are determined to remain the punchline of a sick joke. Without a military draft, there will be no American force large enough to impose martial law, let alone democracy, on Iraq. Without a return to earth of the Prophet himself, may his name be blessed, there will be no political solution in our lifetime to centuries of Islamic division and violence. All that lies ahead is a nightmare of slaughter, for them and for us; all paths lead to generations of instability, not just in Iraq, but across the region.

Read the rest.

Click to download a copy of the complete ISG report or just the Executive Summary (PDF).

Gore Nails It (Again)

Go watch, then go read what Al Gore has to say. Then answer the question, "Who should be his running mate?"

The Disappearing Recount in NM-01 and What We Can Do About It

Despite statements all over the media by DPNM Chair John Wertheim that the Party planned to pursue a 2% audit recount of the Patricia Madrid - Heather Wilson congressional race, yesterday's deadline came and went with nothing filed. Another lost opportunity to gauge the accuracy of our new paper ballot - optical scanner system.

Legal Fog
I understand that the State Party got bogged down in trying to decipher the meaning of New Mexico's election law pertaining to recounts, who can legally request them and what limitations apply to the process. There was reportedly much concern that their request -- even if they got a power of attorney declaration from Madrid -- wouldn't be allowed because Madrid had officially conceded. It appears that only candidates themselves can formally request recounts, and only if they believe an error in the tally would be large enough to change who won. Regardless, I'm not sure how supportive the Madrid camp was about seeking any kind of recount, which is a shame considering how many people worked their butts off and dug deep into their pockets to try and get her elected. In a race this close, I think she owed us one.

Madrid Following the Kerry Strategy?
Even if Madrid thought a complete recount would be quixotic, I think the least she could have done was request a limited recount before conceding to see how our new voting system performed. This would no doubt have garnered much positive press and good will for her here and nationally. Instead she apparently bought into the handler notion that requesting a recount in a race decided by 862 voters would somehow tarnish her chances to run again in the future. Remember Kerry and his cave-in on similar grounds in the 2004 prez election? It's hard to calculate just how much negative reaction that decision provoked against Kerry with Dem voters. Sadly, Madrid seems to be following in his misbegotten footsteps.

Money, Money, Money
It's instructive to ponder how tens of thousands of dollars were raised by the netroots in record time to support Dem candidate Christine Jennings' efforts to get all the votes counted in Florida's CD-13. In that race, more than 18,000 votes were "lost" by the electronic machines in a contest decided by only 369 votes. Surely the Madrid campaign could have raised whatever funds were necessary to pay for a full recount in a race decided by less than half a percentage point, let alone a much cheaper limited recount to audit how accurately our scanners counted the votes from the paper ballots. With so much passionate activism going on in the area of election reform, adequate funds could have been raised in no time by the Madrid camp via small donations. But then, we'll never really know, will we?

Mary Herrera Our Last Chance?
The only remaining opportunity for checking the system apparently would be in the form of an unofficial, "educational" audit of 2% of the NM-01 precincts, to which current Bernalillo County Clerk Mary Herrera reportedly agreed prior to the election. I haven't heard a peep from Herrera on this score since the election was certified, have you? I suggest we might encourage action on this front by emailing or calling Herrera and urging her to follow through on her promise. Be polite, but assertive. The DPNM is reportedly looking into how they might support such an effort, and perhaps even contribute funding for it. I hope this is the case and we can at least get a snapshot of how well the new voting system operated.

Denish Proposal for Automatic Recount
The good news is that Lt. Gov. Diane Denish, along with NM State Senators Dede Feldman and Gerald Ortiz y Pino, announced support for passage of legislation this coming January to require a recount whenever the margin in an election falls below .5%, as it did in the Madrid-Wilson race. The proposal would also create a funding mechanism for paying for these mandatory recounts, perhaps by instituting a registration fee for all candidates to be held in a recount pool.

Given the DPNM's discovery of just how vague our law is in terms of recounts, I hope the scope of this recount bill will be widened to include a clean-up of all the legal language currently in force regarding recounts. The election reform community will also be pushing for legislation that would require same day voter registration, tighten the automatic audit provisions that will kick in for the 2007 election cycle and other fine tuning of our election laws. I think it's imperative that we gear up now to actively support these improvements when the 60-day legislative session kicks off on January 16th.

In Search of Certified Results
This might also be a good time to ask why the certified precinct by precinct results of the November election are not yet up on the Secretary of State's website. Once the numbers are certified, I don't understand why there would be any delay in transferring the numbers to the SOS website and letting the public in on the detailed reporting.

NM Wild Holiday Party This Saturday

Please join the New Mexico Wilderness Alliance for our
Annual Holiday Party and Membership Meeting
Saturday, December 9th, 7 PM
Enjoy eats, drinks and mariachi to help us celebrate Wilderness in New Mexico!

Where: NEW OFFICE LOCATION, 142 Truman Avenue NE,
Albuquerque, NM 87108 (located on Truman, 1 block north of Central Avenue
and 1 block west of San Mateo)
Please call 505-843-8696 to RSVP or more information.

You're Invited: Lt. Gov. Diane Denish Holiday Gathering This Sunday

Please Join LT. GOVERNOR DIANE D. DENISH at a Holiday Gathering

And Invited Guests:
SENATOR LINDA LOPEZ
SENATOR BERNADETTE SANCHEZ
SENATOR DEDE FELDMAN
REP. HARRIET RUIZ
REP. DAN SILVA
REP. ED SANDOVAL
REP.-ELECT ANTONIO "MOE" MAESTAS
PRC COMMISSIONER JASON MARKS
PRC COMMISSIONER-ELECT CAROL SLOAN
COUNTY COMMISSIONER ALAN ARMIJO
CITY COUNCILOR MICHAEL CADIGAN
CITY COUNCILOR KEN SANCHEZ
STATE TREASURER-ELECT JAMES B. LEWIS

Let's celebrate the holiday season and the beginning of a new four years together with a festive gathering on the Westside:

Date: Sunday, December 10, 2006
Time: 1:00 - 3:00 PM
Place: Ladera Golf Course Clubhouse
3401 Ladera Drive NW, Albuquerque

The holiday gathering will include a free enchilada buffet and musical entertainment provided by West Mesa High School Concert Choir. 

** We encourage you to bring an unwrapped gift for a child which will be donated to Namaste Child & Family Development Center, treating children and their families throughout the state of New Mexico.

I look forward to sharing the spirit of the season with you, your family and your friends. Please help spread the word and invite other community members. To RSVP and for questions please call (505) 255-1282

Lt. Governor Diane Denish, PO Box 30561, Albuquerque, NM 87190, (505) 255-1282,

Local Blog Magical Mystery Tour

I haven't been writing much because of my continuing convalescence. Fatigue and pain meds don't make for compelling posts. But other bloggers around New Mexico have lots going on so I thought I'd take you on a little tour of some of them today.

Heath Haussamen has a link to Brian Sanderoff's analysis of his polling data compared with actual election results in New Mexico. Heath's also been doing a bang-up job of covering the maneuvers going on in the NM House over leadership positions. Scroll down on the main page.

Johnny Mango at Albloggerque took second place  to Duke City Fix in the Best Blog category in Albuquerque Mag's Best Of edition. Congrats Johnny! You rock!

BurqueBabble comments on the continuing saga of Mayor Chavez and the little streetcar line that couldn't (at least for now).

Avelino at Live From Silver City makes some suggestions about our new paper ballot voting system.

Duke City Fix features a guest blog about Albuquerque's new pet law.

My Strange New Mexico is a new entry in the local blog mix, written by a columnist at the Daily Lobo. Welcome.

Joe Monahan raises the issue of a possible redistricting for NM-01 given Heather's razor-thin win over Madrid this year. He's also doing continuing coverage on the push and pull of power maneuvers over NM legislative leadership posts. Poke around.

New Mexico FBIHOP, who did an excellent job covering the Madrid-Wilson race, weighs in on the at-least-for-now derailed Nob Hill streetcar project.

New Mexico Matters demands to know why we didn't have a recount in the NM-01 congressional race. They've been doing a lot of coverage on the PRC, election reform issues and corruption.

Despite his recent loss (boo!) in the NM Land Commissioner race, Jim Baca is continuing his blogging on energy issues and more over at Only in New Mexico.

And that's just a taste. There's always action at our growing community of local blogs so check in often by clicking on the links in our NM Blogs section located on our left-hand sidebar. I do.

REMINDER: Join the Fight Against New Nuke Weapons

From Citizens for Alternatives to Radioactive Dumping:
Stop the nuclear industry's use and abuse of New Mexico! From north to south, New Mexico is being used and abused by the nuclear industry to fulfill its useless and dangerous aims. There are important hearings this week where you can voice your opposition to new nuclear weapons and the participation of Sandia and Los Alamos National Labs in plutonium pit manufacturing and other aspects of the proposed program.

In Albuquerque: Speak Out - Stop the Bombplex
Tuesday, December 5th, 11 AM - 3 PM and 6 - 10 PM
Albuquerque Convention Center
401 2nd St, SW / Cochiti Taos Room
Contact: Shrayas Jatkar, 266-2663, admin@cardnm.org

(Editor's Note: See my earlier post for locations in other parts of NM, as well as more detailed information about what is at stake.)

The Department of Energy (DOE) and National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) are rolling through New Mexico this week to push their new plan called Complex 2030. It should really be called Bombplex 2030, because the main idea is to design and produce whole new generations of nuclear weapons.

We can't afford to sit in silence and let Bombplex 2030 get underway.  Instead we must raise our voices in opposition and proclaim a vision of a peaceful and sustainable future. Join us Tuesday at the public hearings hosted by the DOE and NNSA at the Albuquerque Convention Center.  This is our right to speak out and tell the DOE and NNSA.

If you can't make it to one of the scheduled hearings, you can submit written comments about Complex 30. The Energy Department is also accepting public comments on this proposal. If you are unable to attend the public meetings, you still have an opportunity to share your concerns about the Complex 2030 plans:

Send your comments to the Energy Department by email to: Complex2030@nnsa.doe.gov

Or in writing to:
Theodore A. Wyka, Complex 2030
Department of Energy, NA10.1
1000 Independence Ave., S.W.,
Washington, DC 20585.
***When you send this letter, please make sure to copy your two senators, your representative and local newspapers.***

Top 5 Reasons to Oppose Bombplex 2030...

1. It is unnecessary, because the 14,000 plutonium pits (the triggers of a nuclear weapon) stored at the Pantex Plant in Texas are good for a minimum of 90 years; the average age of these pits is just 21 years.
2. The U.S. would waste tens of billions of dollars on Complex 2030, which could be better spent on education, health care, and other social needs.
3. More radioactive waste would be generated and disposed in New Mexico, threatening people and the environment for thousands of years.
4. Los Alamos and Sandia National Labs are essential to Complex 2030 and would therefore continue to produce nuclear weapons. Instead, they should clean up their sites, and become centers of renewable energy research and development.
5. By making new nuclear weapons, the U.S. will violate its pledges to nuclear disarmament under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.  Others will do the same, making the world less safe and secure.

More information on this issue from Physicians for Social Responsibility:

"In the early 1990s PSR played a key role in shutting down the production of nuclear weapons in the United States. The PSR publication Dead Reckoning revealed that tens of thousands of Americans had been killed or made sick with diseases such as cancer because of their work building America's bombs. Health and safety violations were so flagrant that the Rocky Flats plant in Colorado was shut down by the FBI. Now, the Bush Administration has put out a plan, Complex 2030, to get the U.S. back into the nuclear bomb-making business.

The Bush Administration has selected your state as a possible site for a new $5 billion to $10 billion facility to build the next generation of nuclear weapons. Some local leaders in your area are already arguing that this new plant will create jobs and spur economic development. But the U.S. can create jobs without building the next generation of nuclear weapons that would escalate the arms race and pose a greater threat to our planet.

Current and retired nuclear workers have suffered from cancers, beryllium disease and many others conditions. We all suffer psychological harm from living in the shadow of the mushroom cloud.  If these dangerous weapons were ever used, it would be the ultimate medical catastrophe. The U.S. government has moral and legal obligations to eliminate its nuclear weapons, not build new ones.
Over the next week, the Energy Department will hold public hearings in your state to discuss plans for this new bomb plant, assess public reaction, and build political support for these proposals. PSR physicians believe this new nuclear weapons plant, a key component of the administration's Complex 2030 plan, is a dangerous step in the wrong direction.